City of Plymouth athletes claim county school cross country titles

CITY of Plymouth athletes Jed Hutchings, Jacob Harrison, Holly Reid and Abbie Chapman all won county school cross country titles at the weekend.

Jed Hutchings, running for Plymouth College, continued his impressive form this season by convincingly winning the intermediate boys’ race at the Devon Schools’ Championships at Exeter.

He took victory by 49 seconds. In the same race there were top eight finishes for his club colleague Thomas Jones (Ivybridge Community College) and Mount Kelly’s Lorenze Baumagartener.

Tavistock AC athlete Fynn Baker (Tavistock College) was just pipped for the junior boys’ title at Exeter by North Devon athlete Chris Oliviera. Just two seconds separated the pair, with the year younger Barnaby Hutchings (Barnaby Hutchings) taking third. Eggbuckland Community College’s Isaac Lamerton was fifth, with Ivybridge and Erme Valley athlete Kian Burch eight.

There was a bronze medal for Mount Kelly’s Daniela Palacio-Fernandez in the junior girls’ race, while school colleague Florence Riggott just missed a top three spot by the smallest of margins in the minor girls’ race. She came fourth, with Tavistock club team-mates Lamorna Cox and Nell Maguire also in the top eight.

However, possibly the strongest age group of all at the Devon Championships was the intermediate girls’ race, where the standard was exceptionally high.

The race was won by Axe Valley runner Innes Fitzgerald who beat English Schools’ international Scarlett Livingstone. Fellow Exeter athlete Isla Bryson was third, with City of Plymouth’s Molly Shorey (Plymouth College), in her first year of the age category, just one second behind in fourth. Fifth place went to Tavistock’s Charlotte Walker, with City of Plymouth’s Molly Gilby (DHSG) seventh and Erme Valley’s Bella May (Ivybridge) eighth.

In the Devon senior girls’ race, Tavistock AC’s Kristyna Cade (DHS) was fourth, with City of Plymouth’s Kate Phillips (Plymstock CC) fifth.

Meanwhile, Jacob Harrison, Holly Reid and Abbie Chapman were all winners at the Cornwall Schools’ Championships at Truro.

Jacob Harrison and his brother Ben eased to first and second place in the senior boys’ race. The pair were together for the whole race until the finish line, with Jacob winning by one second.

Saltash’s Reid added the schools’ intermediate girls’ county title to the Cornwall AA under-15 crown she won in November.

Fellow Saltash pupil and City of Plymouth team-mate Chapman took victory by 27 seconds in the junior girls’ race at Truro.

There were also top eight finishes at the Cornwall Championships for Torpoint Community College’s Josh Bloxham in the junior boys’ race and Tavistock AC’s Isabelle Doney (Launceston College) in the minor girls’ event.